Conclusion: Understanding the Inclusive Potential of Open Development

Abstract

The driving aim of this volume is to understand and improve inclusion in open development practice. This concluding chapter is an attempt to draw out the key discussions, definitions, and lessons, in order to build an understanding of how inclusion matters for open practices. The first section explores the normative assumptions undergirding open practices, and the different ways that the authors of this volume frame inclusion in relation to open practices. The second section explores what matters for inclusion and open practices, providing nuance to the assumptions of open development. Finally, we offer some key takeaways and potential work going forward. Assumptions and Ways of Seeing Inclusion To draw out lessons on inclusion and open practices, it is important to understand the implicit normative assumptions behind open development practices. These assumptions are: first, knowledge is central to open development. The acquisition of knowledge is empowering, and its equitable distribution is, in turn, a public good. Second, the practices associated with openness-producing/creating, distributing/sharing, and using/reusing knowledge resources-contribute to the global knowledge commons by supporting the creation, sharing, management, and meaningful use of knowledge resources. Third, by offering cost-effective means for people and institutions to do so, open practices in education, science, governance, data, and innovation can facilitate inclusion. Fourth, over time, the distribution of knowledge, the broadening of information, and the flattening of hierarchies preventing access and use may just be able to help tackle the issue of inequality. These four assumptions show how inclusion undergirds open development; in fact, open development is a process of inclusion. These